EAST LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan State University (MSU) is facing mounting pressure from faculty members to reconsider its financial investments in Israel due to ethical concerns surrounding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. 

Faculty members, including Assistant Professor Alexandra Allweiss from the MSU College of Education, argue that MSU’s investments are at odds with the university’s mission, according to the Lansing State Journal. 

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Specifically, their criticism centers on the university’s claims to “advance outreach, engagement, and economic development activities that are innovative, research-driven, and lead to a better quality of life for individuals and communities, at home and around the world”—a statement many faculty believe is at odds with MSU’s 2023 purchase of $200,000 in State of Israel bonds. 

The faculty proceeded to criticize the MSU Faculty Senate’s decision to reject a resolution calling for divestment from companies profiting from Israel’s military actions in an open letter.

MSU’s Chief Investment Officer, Philip Zecher, clarified that the university’s investments are managed externally and that the institution does not actively direct funds to Israel. Instead, MSU receives quarterly payments from the bonds, which were part of a broader $4 billion fundraising effort by Israel in 2003. Zecher also said that the university has limited control over specific investments chosen by external managers. 

Despite these explanations, faculty members remain dissatisfied. Associate Professor Waseem El-Rayes from MSU’s James Madison College, who has lost family members in Gaza, criticized the university’s stance as inconsistent with its purported commitment to socially responsible investing. 

“If they’re interested in socially responsible investments, why are they saying they have no control over the investments?” El-Rayes told the Lansing State Journal.

The push for divestment has garnered significant support from the student body, with the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) and the Council of Graduate Students (COGS) both passing divestment resolutions by large margins.